The Palm Plants Are Drying Up & Dying

Written by michelle brunet

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This plant is a feather type palm since it has two rows of leaflets per stem. (Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images)

Growing a palm plant successfully indoors means you have to provide it with an environment akin to the tropics. If your palm plant is drying out and dying, it could be an issue of temperature, light, water or pests. If you catch the grim situation in time, you may be able to revive your palm plant to a healthy, vibrant form. It is important to know what kind of palm plant you have, as some varieties require distinctive growing conditions.

Skill level:

Moderate

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Instructions

1

Remove any dead or dried out, yellow to brown fronds off your palm plants. During your pruning sessions, be careful not to tug so hard that you damage the plant's boot.

2

Move palm plants from any source of cool drafts, such as an open window or cool air leaks coming through the wall. Sudden cool drafts cause palm plant fronds to turn brown and die.

3

Monitor the temperature of the room to ensure the palm plants are within an adequate climate. Most feather fans prefer a nightly temperature between 16.7 and 18.3 degrees Celsius and a daily temperature between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Fan palm plants can tolerate cooler temperatures with a nightly temperature between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit and a daily temperature between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

This plant is a fan palm type since leaflets radiate from a single base. (Fan Palm Plant image by T^i^ from Fotolia.com)

4

Check to see if you are watering your palm plants properly. Although palm plants generally need a lot of water, you should not water palms unless the top 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil is dry. After watering, allow the residual water to drain into the saucer and then dump the water out of the saucer. This will prevent root rot and ultimately palm plant death.

5

Place your palm plant in a location where it can receive adequate levels of sunlight. If the frond tips are brown and burnt, the palm is probably too close to a sunlight source. If the fronds are yellow and drooping, the palm may need more sunlight. Generally palm plants prefer indirect or filtered sunlight.

6

Mist palm plants daily with a spray bottle and water to provide a humid atmosphere. Low humidity may be a reason why your palm plants are drying out.

7

Check for insect pests that may be attacking your palm plants, and causing their fronds to turn yellow and drop. Look for spider mites, that look like miniature red, yellow or brown spiders, mealybugs, that look like white puffs, or scales that show up as little bumps. If you have an infestation, wash the fronds with warm, soapy water every second day and then rinse with warm water.

Tips and warnings

Find out the specific growing conditions of your type of palm plant. For example, the curly sentry palm requires a cooler temperature compared to other feather palm plants and areca palms benefit from having some water sitting in their saucers.